Bye Bye Birdie musical to film comparisons
Here is a list of differences between the stage and screen adaptions of the Broadway musical, Bye Bye Birdie. 1960 Broadway Version The original 1960 Broadway stage musical production of Bye Bye Birdie is popular, thoroughly entertaining, well-crafted, light-hearted, full of satire and wit, and included 17 songs. It focuses on Albert Peterson, a successful songwriter and agent to superstar Conrad Birdie, a sexy and pelvis-wiggling Elvis Presley-type rock star, and his relationship with his long-time secretary and girlfriend, Rosie Alvarez, his mother, Mae Peterson, and Conrad. When Conrad is drafted into the army, Rosie helps helps Albert devise a publicity stunt for Conrad before he leaves, but in exchange, Albert promises to leave the music business and become an English teacher, which prompts the number "An English Teacher." One line of Rosie's dialogue is "An English teacher! And furthermore, he wrote poetry! And in the N.Y.U. yearbook for 1952 under "Albert Peterson's favorite piece of literature," you know what it says? Little Women!!" All those involved in its creation were relative newcomers that were largely untested in their field: Edward Padula, the producer, was a former stage manager, Charles Strouse was a rehearsal pianist, Lee Adams was a scribe for Time magazine, Michael Stewart was a television writer, and Gower Champion was a dancer. Dick Van Dyke, a comic with no previous Broadway experience, portrayed the lead role of Albert Peterson, who had stopped the show with his rendition of "Put On A Happy Face." Chita Rivera, as Rosie Alvarez, was able to make some claim to recognition among theatergoers, as it followed her recent success as Anita in West Side Story. However, she was was a virtual unknown in Hollywood, so she did not recreate her role in the film version. A curvy and gorgeous blonde bombshell and tap dancer named Gloria Rasputin hopes to be Albert's new secretary. She is a wonderful and refined girl, who is a sensational and very large broad dressed in tight flowered slacks with a matching bag and dangling a long white fox fur. Mae sings "Swanee River" as Gloria performs sort of Ruby Keeler-ish steps with a lot of feet-slapping, before her making a fool of herself by finally ending in a full flying split, hand to forehead in salute. In one scene, Mae plants herself sexily in front of the door as she says "Conrad, did you ever think in terms of a more mature woman?", while she shows a bit of shoulder and shyly shows him a bit of ankle, then is embarrassed and hurries out the door. Susan Watson was Paul Lynde's original Birdie daughter on Broadway, and she played the role of Kim McAfee as a supporting character status of a typical wholesome and innocent high school teenager and a middle American sweetheart with a minor part of her singing featured in only two songs. Hugo Peabody is a nerd with no real speaking role, and he does not sing. Mr. McAfee is a World War II veteran and strong conservative who is utterly dismayed at the Baby Boomer generation. In one scene, he is eating a hurried breakfast on the dining room table that is elaborately set for breakfast for one with gleaming and sparkling silver china, a huge vase of flowers, and the works. Kim begins snatching up bread, butter, jam, salt, pepper, sugar, milk, and all the utensils, while Mr. McAfee manages to grab two fried eggs and is holding them in his hands and snaps them up. Mrs. McAfee says that Kim's gone through lot a lot of trouble to fix a special breakfast for Mr. Birdie and wants to make sure everything's ready and waiting for him when he comes down. After all, he is a national figure and she wants to show him they know how to treat a national figure in Sweet Apple. He says, "I have tried to run this house on a democratic basis. I have extended the privilege of self-determination to both the woman I have married, and the children I have sired....The vote has been denied no one for reason of age, sex, or political affiliations. There has been no taxation without representation, and open covenants have been openly arrived at! Last night I gave up my room to a guest who repeatedly referred to me as Fats. I slept on a camp cot. Outside my window, three sirens shrieked "We Love You, Conrad!" four thousand seven hundred and twenty-three times! I have just lost two fried eggs! And you don't offer an emperor a warm Seven-Up!" The famous stone-faced emcee, Ed Sullivan, is just a voice-over with the following line of dialogue: "So remember: Your surest way to the best, in color slides is to insist on the new Kodak! And now, the young man you've all been waiting to see. As you know, in just about fourteen hours, one of show business' brightest talents is going off to play a very special engagement. And tonight, before he goes, he wants to leave a certain lucky young lady with One Last Kiss. Ladies and gentlemen, we take you to Sweet Apple, Ohio, where a typical American family, Mr. and Mrs. McAfee and their children, Kim and Randolph, are gathered to bid farewell to a typical American soldier, Conrad Birdie!" Hugo refers to Conrad as a "thief of love" and prevents the kiss by running out on stage and then punches Conrad in the face as he leans in to kiss Kim. Kim is very upset with Hugo for punching Conrad and resolves to leave Hugo by telling him that she never wants to speak to him again, as she dashes off while he follows her. Then, she laments her stupidity for having fallen in love with him, sneaks out of the house and heads to the Ice House, an enclosed low barn-like structure with one or two empty crates lying about, to party without adult supervision. Conrad and Kim are alone at the Ice House, as Conrad sits next to Kim and puts his arm around her. Kim realizes that she has nothing in common with Conrad, as the two are bored stiff. In an attempt to get away from Conrad, Kim says "I am not a chick. I am a fully grown woman of twenty-seven or twenty-eight and I insist on being treated as such! Conrad, you seem a bit nervous because you're trembling and seem uncomfortable with the fact that you're a few years younger than I am." Then, Hugo arrives to the Ice House, Kim spots him and falsely claims she was intimidated by Conrad because he attempted statutory rape on her, although he didn't do anything illegal or immoral at all. "Hugo, darling, you're just in time! I can't tell you what humiliation I've been made to suffer." says Kim as she rushes and gladly returns to Hugo and flings her arms about his neck. At the end of the musical the sweetest thing happens: Hugo proposes to Kim, and she accepts him. The adults and the police arrive at the Ice House and arrest Conrad. Albert bails Conrad out of jail and arranges for him to sneak out of town dressed as a middle-aged woman with a large black coat, a purse, and a hat with a veil, presumably so he can report for Army induction as scheduled. Albert also gets his mother to leave Sweet Apple bound for home on the same train, getting Conrad and his mother out of his life for good. 1963 Film version The 1963 candy-colored musical comedy film version adaptation by Columbia Pictures, which was the typical of Hollywood’s approach to filming stage properties, did not transfer well to the screen and tried very hard to go one better over its original blueprint, as there are a number of plot changes in it. Audiences believed the film version was a monstrously stupid comedic styling of a Hollywood spectacle of selections from act one of Bye Bye Birdie with idiotic gags, annoying camera tricks, constant vulgarity, and an additional layer of humor during the big climactic scene featuring the Russian ballet sequence, which almost pre-empted Conrad Birdie from being able to perform at the Ed Sullivan show. The film used 12 of the original tunes, and the producers decided to ditch the song "An English Teacher" and had the names of the characters Albert J. Peterson and Rosie Alvarez changed to Albert F. Peterson and Rosie DeLeon. In addition to the name change, Albert is not Conrad Birdie's agent nor an aspiring English teacher but a talented research chemist with a Ph.D. in Chemistry, who contributed to Conrad's initial success and therefore Conrad owes him a favor. In addition to this, Albert has has developed a miracle supplement in the form of one little white pill: a super speed pill called "Speed-Up" that increases the work output of domestic animals because it speeds up the reflexes, so an ox could outrun a racehorse, while a hen will lay three eggs a day; he later tests it on the McAfee family's pet tortoise, which speeds off out the door. Likewise, Rosie had formerly been a hostess at the La Casa Enchilada Taco And Tamale Shop before she met Albert and became his secretary. There were the only two cast members from the stage show to repeat their original roles for the film: one of them was Dick Van Dyke, and the other was Paul Lynde as a member of the older generation with broad snide antics. In the role of Rosie DeLeon, blonde actress Janet Leigh, a solid box-office name, who was an icon of the 1960s, wore a brunette wig that made her look more Spanish in the eyes of the producers. In her musical film debut, Maureen Stapleton portrayed the role of Albert’s mother that was properly executed by someone who understands comic timing. The director of the movie, George Sidney, was so very much infatuated with 22-year-old bombshell, Ann-Margret, and taken by her talents that he decided to use the film as a vehicle to promote his new rising star. In one of her first major starring roles, Ann-Margret is highlighted and showcased by putting her front and center by being given a greatly expanded role as the main character of Kim McAfee, a lucky, ebullient, and vivacious sex kitten who is a sexy vixen ready to be unleashed and looks more like a Las Vegas bombshell who is the month's centerfold from Playboy, and sings in five of the songs in this adaptation of the story. One of these songs is the famous signature number of a new movie bonus title song, which was written specifically for her, that appears at the very beginning and the very end. As a result of this, the original stage musical's story and much of its dialogue was completely discarded and re-written with an entirely new script that featured more songs and solos from Ann-Margret, while everyone else in the cast was reduced to supporting status and shunted to the background in addition to some of their characters' songs being dropped entirely. The character of Hugo Peabody is a handsome teen idol, and the movie script was re-written specifically to expand the part for Bobby Rydell, who was an actual rock and roll singer and teen heartthrob. His role got bigger and bigger in the Birdie film because of the rapport between him and Ann-Margret. Jesse Pearson played Conrad Birdie in the national road company and took over the part created by Dick Gautier. One of the new additions to the script includes Randolph McAfee using his chemistry set to perform science experiments involving his turtle, and making a stench bomb out of a chemical mixture of iron sulfide plus two parts H2SO4. Gloria Rasputin was replaced by an additional character: a suave English teacher named Claude Paisley who flirts with Rosie. He is a brand-new American citizen, and Kim McAfee's his student in English. Rosie believed that Claude was the marrying type, because he is a wonderful dancer, who has charm, is so genteel, educated, and lyrical, because he said "When one's heart sings, one's feet take wings." Later, she thought he was so underhanded, because he wanted to elope and live in New York to be a songwriter, which was all the things Rosie had wanted to get away from at that time. The sheet music of Conrad's next hit song, which is the title song of his next picture, "Mumbo Jumbo Gooey Gumbo", is the same music as the title tune, "Bye Bye, Birdie." In the scene where Conrad becomes a guest in the McAfee house and irritates Mr. McAfee by being rude and selfish, Mrs. McAfee says "Harry, where have you been since supper?", while Mr. McAfee replies with "In plenty of trouble, that's where. But I'm not now. No, sirree. Now look here, Doris. About that boy, he is an ill-mannered roll and rocker snake in a gold suit and Kim is only fifteen and I don't want her around him because who knows what that wiggler will do to our pretty young daughter. I'm a peace-loving man, a good father and husband. And the result? The home I hewed out of this wilderness with my bare hands is no longer mine. Tonight I had to wait until 6:00 for my supper, and that Peterson grafter was running up the bill with long-distance calls to New York, Chicago, Fairbanks, Alaska, and Hong Kong made on my telephone." Mrs. McAfee reminds her husband that Albert offered to reimburse him, even though Mr. McAfee doesn't take Diners Club cards. Mae walks into the middle of the rehearsal at the school's gym, and greets Conrad by saying "Conrad, honey! Why don't you and I go for a nice ride in the country?", and gives him a friendly hug. Because Ed Sullivan was mentioned in the musical, he featured in a cameo appearance as himself. Deleting the scene where Conrad is falsely accused of trying to seduce Kim may have been an attempt to make the film more family friendly. Conrad did not get tired of show business, but he did suffer the embarrassment of being knocked out with a single punch on live television before an audience of millions of viewers Things end on a brighter and lighter note for Hugo after he punches Conrad: he wins Kim's heart and the young couple is reunited. During the song "Rosie", Kim sings, "Everything is Hugo, I will go where you'll go. With a boy like Hugo, how could I be blue?", Hugo sings, "We will be so cozy, just like Al and Rosie.", and their duet verse is "And we're gonna mosey in a hot rod built for two." When Rosie and Albert get back together at the film's end, it is because Conrad's being a guest in Sweet Apple is over as he goes into the army, not because either character had shown any growth. 1995 Television Version The 1995 TV version movie version is a different, longer, and truer interpretation that was a much more faithful adaptation of the stage musical's basic storyline, and the dialogue was slightly rewritten to smoothly facilitate the musical changes. It included the 17 original songs, and there were three new songs that were added for this version and not included in any previous one. The verse of "One Boy" that Rosie Alvarez sings was replaced with "Let's Settle Down", which she sings to Albert. The "How To Kill A Man" ballet was cut. "What Did I Ever See In Him?" is given a reprise sung by Albert Peterson, called "What Did I Ever See In Her?". The song "Baby, Talk To Me" returns to the show. "Spanish Rose" is moved to earlier in the story. "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore", sung by Mae Peterson as an admonishment to her son, has always been part of the stage productions but was cut from the 1963 film, possibly because actress Maureen Stapleton was not a singer. Albert tells Rosie how he has finally broken free of his overbearing mother in "A Giant Step", which was written for the 1990 U.S. tour. It starred Jason Alexander, of "Seinfeld" fame, in the role of Albert Peterson, with funny facial expressions and a fantastic voice, but his toupee, that looks like a rug found in a discarded Cracker Jack box, didn't fall off his head as he danced. Grammy Award-nominated singer/actress Vanessa Williams portrayed Rosie Alvarez, who transitions from secretary to seductress, but she's also adorned with a wig which looks to have been mail ordered from the back of an Archie comic book. Tyne Daly was totally over acting when she played an appropriately cartoonish version of Albert’s extravagant and over-bearing mother, Mae Peterson, who emerges from a bay of water to give somebody advice and then swims away. Sally Mayes played Mrs. McAfee. George Wendt played Harry McAfee, and improved upon Paul Lynde's take on the character by making him less manic and more down to Earth and strict and a lot more masculine, which adds a different comic touch. This film is the first adaptation to include a re-arranged and re-written version of the title song "Bye Bye, Birdie", written for the 1963 film and sung by Ann-Margret, as part of the story. It is a quintet for Ursula Merkle and the Sweet Apple Birdie fan club girls at the soda shop, as they sing it near the beginning as a farewell to Conrad Birdie. 1980s’ pop music sensation Chynna Phillips was 27-years-old, and was way too old when she took on the completely one-dimensional, flat, unimaginative, unbelievable, and just plain awful role of 17-year-old, Kim McAfee, and her vocals had more of that Wilson-Phillips mainstream edge than than that of a Broadway or earlier movie musical performer. Jason Gaffney's interpretation of Hugo Peabody is just a little TOO cute to play a "dorky naivete" teen, although he carries a guitar around and tries to be a Conrad Birdie wannabe. Marc Kudisch played Conrad Birdie on tour, where he gave the ego-centric character a lot of humor, and reprised the role in this film. This version of Conrad was supposed to be sexy, but he was absolutely horrible to behold when someone ripped his shirt off him, although he has great comedic relief and wonderful musical numbers. Rosie's dance with the Shriners is practically pornographic, because she moves like an accomplished pole dancer, in a gratuitous PG-13 sexual scene. She is dancing provocatively, grabbing the guys' private areas, and is encouraging the guys to grab her. Rosie then pulls them all under a table for a while only to emerge later with clothes all disheveled, while her blouse is open, with missing articles of clothing. Then, one of the guys chases after her, once she leaves, to give her the clothes back. The scene at the end of the play where Kim announces her engagement to Hugo was cut Category:Lists